Goalkeepers in Spain and Europe may quiver at the thought of one of their defenders giving away a foul on the edge of the box when they face Real Madrid this season.
Both Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo have proven themselves - time and again - to be lethal from set plays.
In fact, Real's world-record £86million man Bale scored the most goals from outside the penalty area in Europe last season.
The Wales winger is even pictured in the latest commercial for video game FIFA 14 scoring a free-kick in his white Real Madrid strip.
And his new team-mate Ronaldo netted a free-kick as recently as Friday, during Portugal's victory over Northern Ireland.
But there's no room for the superstars in the game's top 20 free-kick takers. Instead Borussia Monchengladbach's Juan Arango tops the chart.
Sunderland's Sebastian Larsson, former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, Juventus playmaker Andrea Pirlo and Barcelona maestro Xavi all make the cut, but there's no room for four-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi.
Bale, whose bumper move to the Bernabeu shattered the world's transfer record, is also only classed as the 17th best player on the game, produced by US company EA.
Manchester City players David Silva and Sergio Aguero, as well as Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic, Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie, are all placed above the 24-year-old.
It isn't likely to bother Bale too much, though. He'll be looking to hit the ground running with his new club on Saturday by helping his side to victory over Villarreal if he is handed his debut by manager Carlo Ancelotti.
No comments:
Post a Comment